Tuesday, July 19, 2022

While Miz Kittling Knits: Unforgotten

 

As far as I know, Denis will be sprung from the rehab facility in a few days, and I hope nothing interferes with that because not only do I miss him terribly, but I'm also afraid that I'm going to turn into an afghan-knitting monster! It took me a record-breaking 27 days to knit the afghan I'm going to show you today. That's the first time ever that I've made one in less than a month.
 
But wait! There's more!
 
In doing a little addition and subtraction and scrolling through posts both here and on Facebook, I discovered that I'm an afghan behind here on the blog. You see, it only took me 18 days to finish the afghan I knitted after this one. Yikes! If Denis were away any longer, the craft room would be completely empty of yarn, and that would never do. 
 
Let's get this show on the road. It's time to show you the 27-Day Afghan (AKA Missing Denis)!
 
 
"Sand Dunes" #1

 
"Sand Dunes" #2

I'm showing you two different angles because the yarn is such a pale gray that it's a bit of a chameleon. In the first photo, it looks more beige while in the second, it's truer to its pale gray color.
 
The pattern is called Sand Dunes and is from Quick Knitted Afghans. I deviated a bit from the pattern. The size stated in the pattern was more blanket-sized, and I didn't want it to be that big, so I changed that. I also changed how the borders were added. In the published pattern, after the afghan was complete, I was supposed to go around all four sides, picking up all the stitches and then adding the border. I know why the creator did this: it makes a border that lays completely flat. As you can see in my photos, my border doesn't lay flat on the bottom and top edges, but I thought that was an acceptable trade-off in order to keep my sanity. (You think I jest. Ha!)
 
The afghan was knitted with size 15 (US) 36" circular needles using two strands of Lion Brand Homespun yarn in a color called "Clouds", and let me tell you, anyone who cuddles up under this and is still cold is seriously ill. This is, without doubt, the warmest afghan I've ever made, and it's also sinfully soft. 
 
 

What was I watching while I was knitting away furiously on this afghan? An excellent British series called Unforgotten. Each of the four seasons take a London team through solving one cold case. As the investigation progresses, the dead person has several friends who become suspects in his death, and viewers have the task of trying to figure out which one of them did it. This series has consistently compelling stories as well as an excellent cast, and one of the reasons why I enjoyed it so much is because it does show the awful toll police work can take on the mind and body. 
 
The two leads are Sanjeev Bhaskar and Nicola Walker, and I've never seen either one of them turn in a bad performance. Nicola Walker, in particular, is a favorite of mine, which is a good thing because she seems to be Flavor of the Month in the UK right now. Since she always seems to choose projects with strong stories, I don't have a problem with it. (Thinking ahead to future afghan knitting sessions, don't you know?)

I already have a new afghan on my needles, so I'd better not wait too long to show you the one I just finished... in an unbelievable (to me) eighteen days. I think I really need to slow down, don't you?

21 comments:

  1. That's absolutely beautiful! Great knitting job. I learned how to knit and crochet by watching youtube tutorials in this past two years. Helped me a lot to stay sane through the pandemic. Thank you for the book suggestion for the patterns. I will add it to the groceries list alongside with a few yarn skeins, my stash can never be too big (hope my husband doesn't notice it haha)

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    1. If my husband didn't notice my yarn stash, I'd know something was wrong. I posted about the evolution of my craft room over the years. It's changed a bit since then, but you'll be able to get the general idea. You enter the house through the carport door in my craft room, which is why it would well nigh be impossible for Denis to miss it! LOL

      PS-- Love those Youtube knitting videos!

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    2. Oh my, your room is so neat and cozy! I loved when you turned the bins to reveal the colors of the yarn, added life to the room. You did a very good job on organizing it, the division makes sense and everything has its own place. Kudos to you!

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  2. I love the pattern on those afghans, Cathy! And they look beautiful. I'm glad Denis is getting closer to being ready to go home; I hope it happens soon! In the meantime, I've seen ads and so on for Unforgotten. I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds very well done.

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  3. Gorgeous afghan! It'd probably take me at least a year to make just one. And fingers crossed Denis makes it back home soon! :D

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    1. I can remember one afghan in particular that took me two years to make. Those were definitely The Olden Days! LOL

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  4. I'm not a knitter but looking at your beautiful afghans makes me wish I were.

    I'm glad you've discovered "Unforgotten." Cassie and Sunny are great characters and the actors who play them are just terrific in their roles. We are looking forward to season 5.

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    1. I'd assumed that four seasons was all she wrote for Unforgotten. Shows me what happens when I assume! It will be interesting to see what direction the series takes now.

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  5. That afghan does look comfy! I'm also appreciating the irony of a warm afghan during a heat wave :)

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    1. I sit knitting away furiously with a fan blowing on me. I don't have the faintest idea why... (And I've also learned how to keep most of the afghan off me once it gets long enough!)

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  6. This afghan is my favorite so far. I love it!

    Is Unforgotten on Netflix? We are almost done with our Korean show and need a new one.

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    1. I watched Unforgotten on Amazon Prime Video.

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  7. I liked Unforgotten a lot, especially the two lead actors. There will be a season five, but without Nicola Walker. She stars in another TV series. I will miss her in Unforgotten, but I think the producers have found another good actress to replace her.

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    1. She's in one called The Split where she plays a divorce lawyer. I really have no interest at all in divorce law, but I love her, so I'll probably take a look at the series.

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  8. And the afghan is beautiful, color and pattern. Amazing how quickly you are finishing these afghans. And glad Denis is coming home soon to trumpets blaring and lights blazing -- but not like his military career events.

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    1. I dunno... he got to meet the Queen Mum and other royals during his service in the Royal Navy.

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  9. Nicola Walker is in a limited series called Annika for British TV. And then she's supposed to be in a program called Marriage, but I don't see anything about it yet.

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    1. I started watching Annika and then lost it amongst all the streaming services. I need to track it down again. The series you mention may be called The Split and not Marriage. The Split is about divorce lawyers. I watched the first episode of it, and although it's good, I wasn't much in the mood for divorce drama. I'll get back to it, though.

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  10. Marriage is new. To be produced this year. No info about it yet, except that Nicola Walker is in it. I saw one episode of The Split and it wasn't my cup of tea.

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    1. I think I'm going to give the second episode a look-see. I'm a bit tempted to see how Walker's character handles one divorce in particular.

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